Anti-drug office, NFL in nontraditional deal

When is an NFL sponsorship not a sponsorship? When it's a media buy across
almost every NFL asset from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

ONDCP, armed with a $100 million-plus budget to combat drug use, is using the
NFL as its primary sports marketing vehicle. Acting for all the world like an NFL
sponsor, ONDCP has purchased around $5 million in media from the league and its
broadcasters, and commissioned NFL Films to do three anti-drug spots featuring NFL
players.

"We've been calling it a nontraditional marketing partnership," said NFL corporate
media vice president Pete Murray. "But whatever you call it, the good news is that
they are using the NFL's reach, image and media."

The NFL gets some badly needed positive exposure for some of its players, and
sells some of its own media, worth in the high six figures, during a particularly
slow sales season.

The media buy includes game broadcasts and shoulder programming on Fox, CBS,
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Lifetime and MTV; print in NFL Insider and the Super Bowl program;
ads on nfl.com; sponsorship of the NFL's youth flag football initiative; and an
exhibit at the NFL Experience during Super Bowl week.

The ads from NFL Films use players to deliver a strong anti-drug message. The
New York Giants' Tiki Barber tells kids about how football was his "anti-drug" program
growing up. Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks talks about the importance of discipline
and self-respect. Tennessee's Eddie George relates the role his mother had in keeping
him on the straight and narrow.